The Tale of the Little Prince
by IchiIchigo
Summary: While the group rests in Flanoir, Zelos tells Presea a story as they sit by the fire...Some spoilers.


Ichigo: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, no matter how much I wish I did. Sorry, Zelos and Presea may be a little Ooc. Please enjoy anyway though.

**The Tale of the Little Prince**

**By: IchiIchigo**

Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Tethe'alla sat quietly by the firelight while everyone else slept peacefully in their rooms at the Flanoir inn. It was cold in the small inn, and he really hadn't plan on being up this late, but with Regal snoring like he was, there was no way he would get any sleep. He stared into the flames, as if almost entranced by them; deep in thought. There was someone on his mind. She had been since the day they met. Things had changed greatly since then though, and he wondered if she even remembered their first meeting. He certainly did, she was his first real friend after all.

But all the time in between then and now; for sure she couldn't remember. It was impossible, especially after…'The incident,' as he liked to call it, took place. Luckily, the little incident ended, well, after sixteen years it ended.

Zelos sighed, and looked up at the ceiling. 'There's no way…There just isn't anyway…'

"Zelos…What are you doing up?" A voice asked, snapping the red-haired Chosen from his thoughts.

"Oh…Presea. I was just thinking that's all. You should be asleep, growing girls need their rest." Presea just stared at him.

"I can't sleep…Regal…I can hear him from the next room…" Zelos gave a small laugh.

"Yeah, he could wake the dead with that snore. You can come and sit with me if you want." Presea nodded slightly and took a seat on the couch next to Zelos. They were quiet for a few minutes. Zelos had taken a liking to stare down the flames in the fireplace once again. Everything he wanted to say to Presea on the tip of his tongue. Presea on the other hand was shifting her eyes from looking at her hands, to looking at the Chosen. Zelos took his eyes away from the fire for a minute and glanced at the pink haired girl. "What's wrong my cute little rosebud?" She stayed silent.

"Say, Presea. Do you remember everything from before you had the Cruxis Crystal placed on you?" She looked at him and nodded.

"Most things…Something's are kind of blurry…"

"Blurry, huh?"

"Yes."

"I see. So…I guess you probably wouldn't remember…Never mind…" Zelos turned his attention back to the fire.

"Zelos, if you stare at the fire to long, you're going to go blind." Presea said. Zelos quirked an eyebrow, and then looked at the ceiling. "There is…One thing I remember. Something that sticks in my mind…But it's not a complete memory…It's…Empty, somehow."

"Really?" He asked, shifting his gaze toward her again. "Do tell, unless, you know, you don't want to."

"When I was younger- well, the year that Rodyle placed the Cruxis Crystal on me…That same year; there was a boy I met in Ozette."

"Really…What'd he look like?" Zelos asked. Presea gave him a semi-surprised look.

"L-like, you…Kind of. But much younger, he was six, and he had red hair like yours…Only shorter. I can't remember much else about him though, except that he, Alicia and I played a lot while he was visiting…He was very…Nice…" She stopped there. Zelos while she had spoken, decided that he would finish her memory for her.

"Say, how about I tell you a story…Maybe it'll help you get back to sleep, ok?"

"A story?"

"Yup. A story." Presea gave a look of mild confusion at his sudden change in subject.

"Alright, if…That is what you wish."

"Okie dokie, here goes. Once upon a time, in the land of Tethe'alla, there lived a little prince named Elliot. He lived in Meltokio with his mother, the queen. Elliot was handsome for his age, a prodigy when it came to the arts and academics, and he could have everything he ever wanted, due to his status. He had power, fame, and money. Everything anyone could ever want was his; except for one thing…There was something in his life that money couldn't get him. But it was something that he wanted more than anything in the world. You know what it was?" Presea just stared at him for a minute.

"Something money can't buy." She muttered.

"It's something that you've recently attained. Friendship, Presea, friendship."

"Friendship?"

"Yeah, we're all your friends ok, so you can come to me or the rest of the gang any time, remember that." Zelos replied simply. He winked at her, and she smiled.

"I'll remember that…"

"Good, now, Elliot always wanted friends, but the people who said they were his friends, were just a bunch of people who only liked him for his status. Most of them girls, because like I said, he was good looking, even if he was little." Zelos paused for a moment. "He was saddened deeply by this…And he often threw tantrums because he didn't know what to do with himself. I mean, what's a little kid without friends, right? All his parents ever did though was buy him more toys, and games, and clothes; but no material possession could satiate the desire he had for a true friendship with someone. There was a hole in his heart because of this. A hole that was growing with each day, and no one could fix it."

"A hole…He was empty…Like me." Presea said.

"Yeah, but one day, that all changed. See, as the prince, he had certain duties to his people, and to the Church of Martel, since the royal family and the church were so closely related. On a spring morning, his mother told him that he was to go on a pilgrimage with the pope. Elliot was angered by this, and refused to go. He disliked the pope with a passion, and refused to even go near him. But in the end, after hours of arguing and yelling with his mother, he had to give in to his mother's wishes. The next day, he, the pope, and workers at the church were headed to a small village in the forest known as Ozette."

"My village?" Presea asked.

"Yeah." Zelos replied. "When they got there, after about two days of traveling, Elliot was tired, and bored out of his mind. He couldn't believe his mother actually made him come on some stupid pilgrimage to a little no where town in the middle of the woods…No offense."

"That's okay…"

"So, anyway, they took up residence at the inn there. It was a small inn, but they were only going to be there for a day anyway. Elliot was told not to go anywhere without the Papal Knights, but, seeing as how stupid they were, he was able to make his escape and explore a little. But, see, he wandered into the forest, and got lost. He was completely alone, and he suddenly wished that he was back in the village, because at least there were people there. The silence only made the hole in his heart grow larger. But, then out of no where, a girl appeared. She was much older than he was, around your age. She was pretty, and she had the sweetest smile on her face. Next to her was another girl, Elliot had guessed it to be her younger sister, because she was smaller than the first girl. She was just as cute. The older girl knelt beside Elliot and asked,

"Are you lost?" Elliot nodded. She smiled again and said, "What's your name?"

"My name is Elliot."

"Ooh! Elliot! Sister he must be the prince!" The younger girl said bounding toward them. "My name is Emileen, and that's my big sister Abigail. But you can all us Emi and Abby for short."

"So, I guess, you'll be taking me back now, huh?" Elliot asked sadly.

"Well, they are looking for you." Abigail replied. Emi gave Abby the saddest look she could muster.

"But, sister! I want to play with him."

"I'm not a toy…" He muttered.

"Emileen, we could get in real trouble, you know that we aren't supposed to play with-"

"But look how sad he is! I want to play, Elliot, do you want to play?" Elliot nodded. Abigail sighed in frustration. She had to give in or Emileen would most likely be upset with her later."

Zelos paused and looked at Presea. She looked as if she was debating something. He smiled slightly. 'I wonder if this is jogging her memory at all.' He thought. "You alright?"

"Zelos, this story…I've never heard it before, but it sounds familiar…"

'Yes!' He thought. "Really?" He asked.

"Yes. Please continue."

"Alrighty then. So, Abigail agreed, and she, Emileen and Elliot played games all of the rest of the day. They played tag, and hide 'n' seek. And they talked about their short little lives. Elliot learned that they were the daughters of the village wood cutter, but he had recently become very ill, so while Emileen helped around the house most of the time, Abigail took up her father's job. It was hard work, but she enjoyed it, it seemed.

"So what's it like being a prince!" Emileen asked excitedly, when they had decided to head back to the village.

"It's not so great." Elliot replied.

"But, don't you get everything you want?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, but. There's something that I don't have. See, I don't have many friends at home…Real friends anyway."

"Really? Because you're really nice."

"Yeah…People only like me because of what I am, not who I am…"

"That's pretty deep for a six year old." Abigail muttered.

"Don't make fun of him Abby!" Emileen snapped.

"I wasn't. I was just saying that for him to realize something so soon in life, well, it was a little strange that's all."

"I really want friends." Elliot said, ignoring the earlier comment. "Even if it's just for one day."

"But Elliot, you've got friends." Abigail said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah, me and Abby." Emileen replied. "We'll always be friends." Abigail nodded with another smile. Elliot couldn't have felt happier, and even though he was lectured intensely when he returned to the village, as well as when he got home to his mother. He was grounded for life, it seemed."

"So, what happened to Abigail and Emileen?" Presea asked.

"Many years after their meeting, Elliot returned to Ozette, hoping to see his dear friends again. He was now twenty-two and the most eligible bachelor in all of Tethe'alla. He was hoping that they would remember him. But when he got there, he found out the horrible truth. Emileen had left not long after they spent that day together to go and work for a noble, and Abigail…She hadn't aged at all since that day. She was placed under a terrible curse by a half-elf. He was saddened deeply by this. He best friend had turned into a doll, unable to do nothing but follow orders, and her sister had disappeared without a trace. In the end though, with the help of others, he was able to save her…The only problem was, she couldn't remember what had happened the day they had met in the forest…"

"Zelos…"

"But, now…I sit here telling you this story, Presea, because that day, there was no prince named Elliot, and not girls named Emileen and Abigail. Just a silly Chosen named Zelos, and his two best friends Alicia and…Presea."

"So, then you were?" Zelos nodded, and grinned. "Zelos…Thank you…"

"I've wanted to tell you for a while. But I wasn't sure if you remembered, or what, so, I guess I just kept quiet about it until now. That and I didn't think I'd be able to get you alone, without Sheena or Genis harping on me, and thinking I was doing something perverted." Presea blushed slightly.

"I'm…Glad though…That you did tell me…I'm happy…Happy that we're friends."

"I am too…Now, you should get to bed kid…I think Regal stopped snoring." Presea nodded.

"It is late." She said getting up from the couch. She walked over to the stairs, but stopped on the first step. "Good night Zelos…And thank you again." Zelos just smiled and waved his hand. Presea continued walking up the stairs, but Zelos stayed on the couch, his eyes having returned to staring into the fire.

"Good night Presea." He said. "And thanks for being my friend."

Ichigo: Well, I hope you enjoyed the story! Bye bye!


End file.
